Reboot
by NeverMineToHold
Summary: "Show me what you can do, soldier," C.L.U. said, spreading his arms to bare his yellow circuitry in clear invitation to strike him down. Repurposing Tron comes with a surprise – or doesn't it?


Title: „Reboot"

Status: One-Shot; Complete

Fandom: Tron: Legacy

Characters: C.L.U; Tron/Rinzler

WordCount: 1088

Disclaimer: The big mouse owns half the world, both Tron movies included.

Rating: PG-13

Warning: none

Beta: The great snare-chan! Thank you so much, again and again!

Summary: "Show me what you can do, soldier," C.L.U. said, spreading his arms to bare his yellow circuitry in clear invitation to strike him down. Repurposing Tron comes with a surprise – or doesn't it?

AN: Reviews keep my muse going...

Reboot

C.L.U. watched as the code unfurled on the transparent display, one neat line after the other. The whole makeup of a fellow program was laid bare before him, for him to do with as he pleased.

The myriad of components shone, highlighted in different colors for easier dissection. Layers of windows and symbols opened up, adding further information in pace with his eye movement.

C.L.U. spared a moment to glance at the program on the screen's other side. Its circuits were dark, restricted in their overall design, as it lay prone on a metal slab. Underneath the bodysuit it was all wiry muscle, created with advanced maneuverability and speed in mind, rather than brute force…

"Your Excellency, although I would never presume to understand-"

"Then don't, Jarvis," C.L.U. interrupted, the disturbance unwelcome. He had almost been able to forget about the disruptive presence in the laboratory. He returned to his typing, spotting a messed up code line and quickly replacing it.

"But surely, the risk of repurposing him, of all programs, is too great to -"

"_Enough_," C.L.U. stressed the word, reminding himself of his officer's limitations and to remain patient.

Jarvis, at the other terminal, stilled, wise enough to follow the command. Bowing his head, he resumed his monitoring duty, affecting an air of professionalism.

Jarvis had been opposed to C.L.U.'s plans regarding Tron from the very beginning, with far more force than anticipated. Still, his fear of a perceived threat to his own position in the young regime that his master had established had a remarkable effect on the program's efficiency. And C.L.U. had every intention to exploit this new development to its fullest. He didn't neglect to file away the gathered knowledge for future reference, either.

C.L.U. smiled thinly and implemented the last line of code, before double checking the whole command sequence he had worked on. His fingers danced over the keyboard to initialize the final upload.

He remembered how frustrating this process had been, back when he had started. It had taken him five full cycles to pick apart Flynn's work and make sense of the patchwork of upgrades. And then go deep, to the core, where it was full of codes so old that they must have been remnants of the ENCOM system the User had often told C.L.U. about. It had been tedious, intricate work, to tweak a sequence here and erase one there, and then to refill the gaps to fit his own purposes.

It had been a welcome challenge for him, who would create and maintain the perfect system. My last gift to my User…

"Your Excellency, the program's reboot sequence is complete," Jarvis reported. His gaze was fixed on his ever present datapad. "I will now initiate the first recharge cycle."

C.L.U. nodded in approval. "I leave the rest to you, then."

He picked up the Light Disc, ready to be synchronized with its program, on the way and turned it around idly. As soon as his new creation could be brought online, C.L.U. would strike. But for now, he needed to return to his other duties. It was necessary to placate the ISO's, who reacted with increasingly erratic behavior to Radia's demise and Flynn's… disappearance.

"Gyaahh!"

Jarvis' sudden shriek stopped him dead in his tracks. Turning, he saw his new enforcer sitting up on the recharge berth, although that should have been impossible. Its circuitry flickered and diminished, before it settled into an orange-red glow. A low, distorted growl reverberated through the white room.

_Fascinating_.

Jarvis tried to edge away sideways, but found the program's helmet swivel around towards him.

"Your Excellency!" He dove behind an analysis unit.

"Jarvis, stop being-!"

The recompiled program suddenly vaulted from its perch with a sideways flip, landing behind the scared administrative officer and ripping the Light Disc from his back.

C.L.U. snorted in faint disgust as the shock sent the coward offline, leaving Jarvis in a crumpled heap on the white tiles. The enforcer's covered gaze fixed on him, but C.L.U. just waited as the program strode closer; its stolen Light Disc was charged and held at the ready.

"Show me what you can do, soldier," C.L.U. said, spreading his arms to bare his yellow circuitry in clear invitation to strike him down.

The program snarled and lunged forward, leading the Disc in a sweeping arc that should have slit C.L.U.'s throat open. The weapon stilled an inch short of derezzing him, just as it should.

I never gamble, which you should have known, Jarvi_s_, C.L.U. thought, pleased with his work.

Confusion was now evident in the program's rigid stance, as it surely tried to pinpoint the cause of what had stopped it to follow through with its attack. It growled louder, circuitry brightening in flashes, and its muscles coiled and flexed, but could not move the Disc any closer.

"Calm yourself… Rinzler."

C.L.U. could see that beautiful moment of recognition as code and command knitted seamlessly together, confirming his status as Creator.

Rinzler dropped his weapon immediately and bowed his head. His hands fell loosely and open at his sides, while his shoulders hunched slightly in a show of submission.

"Very good," C.L.U. praised, like one would a pet that had obeyed a basic command.

He offered his enforcer the Light Disc he still held and Rinzler grabbed it without hesitation. As he returned it to its place on his back, his circuits flashed, confirming the end of the synchronization process.

"Your designation is Rinzler."

The black helmet dipped in confirmation and the threatening growl lowered to a rumbling purr.

C.L.U. found his thoughts drifting back to the moment as Flynn had named him – and his first meeting with Tron. This was not an act out of revenge. It was merely part of the plan that C.L.U. must see through to fruition.

Tron had his chance to avert all of this, after all. But instead of derezzing C.L.U. as he could have, he had chosen to merely tackle him to buy Flynn enough time to escape. In fact, he must have been aware of the simple fact that C.L.U. would never waste an asset as valuable as Tron.

"You are to obey and serve me. To remove any threats to the perfect system I will create. You will fight – for C.L.U."

And Rinzler did, to perfection, not a cycle later, as the first ISO colony fell victim to the purge.

End


End file.
